Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Breaking Good

macrumors 65816
Sep 28, 2012
1,451
1,225
I really like the idea of this phone, but:

1) No water resistance rating
2) No 3.5mm audio jack
3) No microSD card slot
4) No wireless charging (materials may be responsible for this)

I just don't see how you try to break into this market at a flagship price and not offer the above.

I don't consider any of the above to be a deal breaker. But there are established competitors that are offering similar priced phones with one or more of the above features. I just don't see the differentiator for this phone that would make me pick it from its competitors.

For me, the biggest hang-up is the water resistance. I don't see how you tout the resilience of new materials without making the phone water resistant.

With that said, I hope they make it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tig Bitties

widgeteer

Suspended
Original poster
Jun 12, 2016
1,565
4,610
I really like the idea of this phone, but:

1) No water resistance rating
2) No 3.5mm audio jack
3) No microSD card slot
4) No wireless charging (materials may be responsible for this)

I just don't see how you try to break into this market at a flagship price and not offer the above.

I don't consider any of the above to be a deal breaker. But there are established competitors that are offering similar priced phones with one or more of the above features. I just don't see the differentiator for this phone that would make me pick it from its competitors.

For me, the biggest hang-up is the water resistance. I don't see how you tout the resilience of new materials without making the phone water resistance.

With that said, I hope they make it.

I think that's a great point, and something I can't wrap my head around. They are pushing the build of this thing, so it can survive a drop onto concrete but a drop of water might f*ck up its day? Ehhhhh..

I'm still getting it though, unless I hear something legit dealbreaker between now and release.
 

Zackmd1

macrumors 6502a
Oct 3, 2010
815
487
Maryland US
My problem is the above missing features and the fact that it uses an LCD screen.... WHY.... OLED would have made the design that much better by the deep black blending in with the front panel.... That and it costs $700. I love the design but I just do not see myself spending that much on a phone that really does not bring anything new to the table.
 

Tig Bitties

macrumors 603
Sep 6, 2012
5,517
5,692
Big Android nerd, Nexus fan here, and sadly I see this phone as DOA.

- No carrier support, not sold in stores = super low sales, just a niche product for ultra nerds only, less than 5% of the smartphone public will even know this phone exists.
- $700 price points LIMITS larger audience ( why not get the OnePlus 3T for $400, or the OnePlus 5 with same or better specs for still cheaper than $700 )
- No IP68, No wireless charging. Today in 2017 those are standard flagship features, not gimmicks.
- It runs a stock Android OS, ok is it truly stock as in Pixel type stock, with updates at the same time Google launches a new OS update ? Or close to stock AOSP style, that still requires weeks or months wait for updates ? If it's AOSP style, I'd just as soon get the Pixel XL 2 in September, which will get the best and fastest updates and cost the same.
- 3,040mAh battery in a 5.7" screen LOL, I stopped caring right there. To have great battery life, Android phones with the SD835 need a 3,500mAh MINIMUM to be outstanding. Whereas 3,000mAh batteries, get good battery life, not bad and, not great, but just ok. This thing should have like 3,600mAh battery to really wow us.
- LCD screen not OLED display. In 2017 the flagships use OLED, like the S8 line, iPhone 8, and Pixel XL 2, and OnePlus 5.

An honest question, not being a smart guy, But for $700 what does this Essential bring to the table, over something like the Pixel XL 2 for a similar price point ? ( yeah I know the P2 is still a few months out, but not too far off ) Or compared to the OnePlus 5 with the same SD835 + 4GB RAM, but with a larger 4,000mAH battery, and rumored to cost around $500, why get this Essential phone for $700 over the $500 OnePlus 5 ?

I still think the best bang for the buck phone out for 2017 is the LG G6, selling for like $499 now, and soon with Root and official CM14.1 ( Lineage ROM ), it's the phone to beat for the price. The G6 running official Cyanogen ROM for $499, I'm all over that. Plus it's IP68 waterproof, and has wireless charging, and is also very one handed friendly for a 5.7" device. And yes root is coming next month for the G6, as is official stable builds of Lineage OS 14.1
 

Zackmd1

macrumors 6502a
Oct 3, 2010
815
487
Maryland US
An honest question, not being a smart guy, But for $700 what does this Essential bring to the table, over something like the Pixel XL 2 for a similar price point ? ( yeah I know the P2 is still a few months out, but not too far off ) Or compared to the OnePlus 5 with the same SD835 + 4GB RAM, but with a larger 4,000mAH battery, and rumored to cost around $500, why get this Essential phone for $700 over the $500 OnePlus 5 ?

You are simply paying for the design and materials with this phone it seems... Don't get me wrong, titanium and ceramic would be an amazing combination and the phone has the design win over the OP5 (not going to be edge to edge screen) but that is not enough to make the phone great... Assuming the rumors are true and the Pixel 2 adopts an edge to edge screen (that is actually AMOLED) then that might be the phone to get. Unfortunately I agree that this phone seems like it is going to be DOA unless there are some features they are still holding out on/not wanting to commit to just yet and they actually have a larger distribution plan then just mobile.

PS: I would assume the reason why this phone is $700 is because of the titanium and ceramic. Both have very high material and manufacturing costs.
 

widgeteer

Suspended
Original poster
Jun 12, 2016
1,565
4,610
Big Android nerd, Nexus fan here, and sadly I see this phone as DOA.

- No carrier support, not sold in stores = super low sales, just a niche product for ultra nerds only, less than 5% of the smartphone public will even know this phone exists.
- $700 price points LIMITS larger audience ( why not get the OnePlus 3T for $400, or the OnePlus 5 with same or better specs for still cheaper than $700 )
- No IP68, No wireless charging. Today in 2017 those are standard flagship features, not gimmicks.
- It runs a stock Android OS, ok is it truly stock as in Pixel type stock, with updates at the same time Google launches a new OS update ? Or close to stock AOSP style, that still requires weeks or months wait for updates ? If it's AOSP style, I'd just as soon get the Pixel XL 2 in September, which will get the best and fastest updates and cost the same.
- 3,040mAh battery in a 5.7" screen LOL, I stopped caring right there. To have great battery life, Android phones with the SD835 need a 3,500mAh MINIMUM to be outstanding. Whereas 3,000mAh batteries, get good battery life, not bad and, not great, but just ok. This thing should have like 3,600mAh battery to really wow us.
- LCD screen not OLED display. In 2017 the flagships use OLED, like the S8 line, iPhone 8, and Pixel XL 2, and OnePlus 5.

An honest question, not being a smart guy, But for $700 what does this Essential bring to the table, over something like the Pixel XL 2 for a similar price point ? ( yeah I know the P2 is still a few months out, but not too far off ) Or compared to the OnePlus 5 with the same SD835 + 4GB RAM, but with a larger 4,000mAH battery, and rumored to cost around $500, why get this Essential phone for $700 over the $500 OnePlus 5 ?

I still think the best bang for the buck phone out for 2017 is the LG G6, selling for like $499 now, and soon with Root and official CM14.1 ( Lineage ROM ), it's the phone to beat for the price. The G6 running official Cyanogen ROM for $499, I'm all over that. Plus it's IP68 waterproof, and has wireless charging, and is also very one handed friendly for a 5.7" device. And yes root is coming next month for the G6, as is official stable builds of Lineage OS 14.1

I'm not gonna get into a fight over phones that haven't been released yet but a few points:

- OP is the definition of a nerd niche product. The average consumer has no idea it exists. It's profile has raised, but that's been after a few years on the market.

- You keep insisting this or that is too much. You need to end the sentence with "for me". I heard the identical arguments about the Pixel, and now people are drooling over the Pixel 2. User experience is worth something. The Pixel offered a first in class user experience free from jank. That's worth something.

- What carrier stores can I buy the OP in, please? You've insisted this is a sign of a phone being DOA. So obviously the OP must be available in stores then?

You're way too early in judging something. And your criteria seems to be pretty inconsistent.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tbayrgs and jamezr

Moneoa

macrumors regular
Oct 8, 2015
144
128
Then you probably won't buy it *shrug*

Nope, your right on that one. I wouldn't see the need. Because it has a 360 camera and modular capabilities? How's that G5 and Moto play doing these days.

Modular phones are interesting but the problem is when something does 50,000 things it's not a master of any one of them. It just does 50,000 things in a mediocre way. Quality only comes with focus on realistic things people need.
 

symphara

macrumors 6502a
Nov 21, 2013
670
649
Nope, your right on that one. I wouldn't see the need. Because it has a 360 camera and modular capabilities? How's that G5 and Moto play doing these days.

Modular phones are interesting but the problem is when something does 50,000 things it's not a master of any one of them. It just does 50,000 things in a mediocre way. Quality only comes with focus on realistic things people need.
I don't think the Moto or G5 comparison is apt here.

First, I don't think calling it a modular phone hits the mark. It's rather a phone with an expansion slot. It hasn't made any sacrifices that I'm aware of to gain this capability to have accessories.

Second, the way it interacts with accessories is much simpler. The protocol is wireless USB. You don't need to take apart the phone. The accessories themselves are small and snap on - it wasn't designed like the Moto Mods, where you have accessories the full size of the phone, so you cannot reuse them with a different size phone.

Third, I think that if you never buy even one accessory, and just use it as a normal phone, that is entirely fine. It's no different from any other phone excepting the two pins on the back, which are hardly intrusive, unlike, say, the 24-pin connector on the Moto.

I don't care much about expandability except for memory (and with 128Gb I think it's fine), but I wouldn't hold this against the Essential. Who knows, maybe they'll even make some interesting add-ons.
 

jamezr

macrumors P6
Aug 7, 2011
16,073
19,070
US
I really like the idea of this phone, but:

1) No water resistance rating
2) No 3.5mm audio jack
3) No microSD card slot
4) No wireless charging (materials may be responsible for this)

I just don't see how you try to break into this market at a flagship price and not offer the above.

I don't consider any of the above to be a deal breaker. But there are established competitors that are offering similar priced phones with one or more of the above features. I just don't see the differentiator for this phone that would make me pick it from its competitors.

For me, the biggest hang-up is the water resistance. I don't see how you tout the resilience of new materials without making the phone water resistant.

With that said, I hope they make it.
I find it interesting to hear people say these things are deal breakers for them. May I ask what phone you are using now? Were these your requirements for getting that phone?
I mean I love the things you listed 1 through 4 but they are likes to have and not hard requirements.
 
  • Like
Reactions: widgeteer

noobinator

macrumors 604
Jun 19, 2009
7,335
6,998
Los Angeles, CA
- 3,040mAh battery in a 5.7" screen LOL, I stopped caring right there. To have great battery life, Android phones with the SD835 need a 3,500mAh MINIMUM to be outstanding. Whereas 3,000mAh batteries, get good battery life, not bad and, not great, but just ok. This thing should have like 3,600mAh battery to really wow us.

You lost me at this statement. I know what you are trying to say but we really need to stop equating battery life to battery size as if it's a linear thing. More does = more but do all 3,000 mAh batteries get the exact same battery life/SoT etc...nope.

There's no magic formula that says this certain chip NEEDS a minimum battery in X size to perform like _____. The 2,900 or whatever mAh in the iPhone 7 Plus wows me, as does the 3,000 mAh in the Galaxy S8+.
 

widgeteer

Suspended
Original poster
Jun 12, 2016
1,565
4,610
I find it interesting to hear people say these things are deal breakers for them. May I ask what phone you are using now? Were these your requirements for getting that phone?
I mean I love the things you listed 1 through 4 but they are likes to have and not hard requirements.

All of this, plus: when did we stop caring about the reason a phone exists: OS. Suddenly the main requirements for a phone are that it charges wirelessly and you can take a shower with it?

The Pixel offered a *premium* version of the Android OS. I'm not just talking about lack of bloat. It was the most fluid, stable, and fast device I used all year.

I use the OS all day long, I do not wirelessly charge my phone all day long. I do not worry about getting caught in the rain or dropping my phone into a cup of coffee all day long. The OS has so much more importance and impact on my use of the phone it's not even close to anything else. Thus, if an OEM can offer me the best possible experience using the OS, that's a premium product.

The above isn't meant to argue less expensive phones can't offer that. I do not use the OP 3, in example, so I have no idea. But it wouldn't matter to me personally anyway cause I'm with Verizon, so right that would seem to be a bigger "dealbreaker" for a lot of folks over a headphone jack.
 

webslinger85

macrumors 6502a
Nov 8, 2010
725
76
You lost me at this statement. I know what you are trying to say but we really need to stop equating battery life to battery size as if it's a linear thing. More does = more but do all 3,000 mAh batteries get the exact same battery life/SoT etc...nope.

There's no magic formula that says this certain chip NEEDS a minimum battery in X size to perform like _____. The 2,900 or whatever mAh in the iPhone 7 Plus wows me, as does the 3,000 mAh in the Galaxy S8+.

He's consistently made statements about the s8's poor battery life, regardless of what people say
[doublepost=1496243288][/doublepost]
All of this, plus: when did we stop caring about the reason a phone exists: OS. Suddenly the main requirements for a phone are that it charges wirelessly and you can take a shower with it?

The Pixel offered a *premium* version of the Android OS. I'm not just talking about lack of bloat. It was the most fluid, stable, and fast device I used all year.

I use the OS all day long, I do not wirelessly charge my phone all day long. I do not worry about getting caught in the rain or dropping my phone into a cup of coffee all day long. The OS has so much more importance and impact on my use of the phone it's not even close to anything else. Thus, if an OEM can offer me the best possible experience using the OS, that's a premium product.

The above isn't meant to argue less expensive phones can't offer that. I do not use the OP 3, in example, so I have no idea. But it wouldn't matter to me personally anyway cause I'm with Verizon, so right that would seem to be a bigger "dealbreaker" for a lot of folks over a headphone jack.

I see what you're saying, but I also see what other people are saying too.

It's 2017, flagship level devices at this point should all feature the top end tech, especially if you're expected to pay flagship prices. It's just strange at this point to see a $700+ device NOT have wireless charging or some form of water resistance.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Breaking Good

lowendlinux

macrumors 603
Sep 24, 2014
5,460
6,788
Germany
He's consistently made statements about the s8's poor battery life, regardless of what people say
[doublepost=1496243288][/doublepost]

I see what you're saying, but I also see what other people are saying too.

It's 2017, flagship level devices at this point should all feature the top end tech, especially if you're expected to pay flagship prices. It's just strange at this point to see a $700+ device NOT have wireless charging or some form of water resistance.

But does flagship mean all da tecks or does it mean the best the OS and ecosystem have to offer? I paid 865 Euro for my 128GB Pixel that doesn't have all da tecks and this phone is cheaper and arguably more interesting.
 

symphara

macrumors 6502a
Nov 21, 2013
670
649
It's 2017, flagship level devices at this point should all feature the top end tech, especially if you're expected to pay flagship prices. It's just strange at this point to see a $700+ device NOT have wireless charging or some form of water resistance.
Doesn't seem to have stopped Apple in the slightest...

I never had water damage on a smartphone - the only time I dropped a phone in water was my Ericsson T28 (ages ago, loved it btw, it was tiny enough to fit in my change pocket, the battery lasted 5 days, and it had a killer Tetris on it) and it was fine after I let it fully dry on top of my monitor.

So I really don't care about water resistance. What I care about is drop resistance, having on a few occasions broken screens, so the titanium/ceramic build, if it truly makes a sturdier device, sounds good.

As for wireless charging, I don't care about that either. And I had it, and used it, on my Nexus 4. It was a bit finicky with the placement and in the end plugging in a cable beside the bed is hardly more inconvenient.

Now if someone would make truly wireless charging i.e. that would charge the device remotely with no requirement to place it on special pads, that'd be something.
 

Tig Bitties

macrumors 603
Sep 6, 2012
5,517
5,692
He's consistently made statements about the s8's poor battery life, regardless of what people say
[doublepost=1496243288][/doublepost]

I see what you're saying, but I also see what other people are saying too.

It's 2017, flagship level devices at this point should all feature the top end tech, especially if you're expected to pay flagship prices. It's just strange at this point to see a $700+ device NOT have wireless charging or some form of water resistance.

It's pretty simple to understand, not sure why you guys don't get this;

I've had like 20 flagship smartphones the last several years, and for Android, more and higher mAh does MATTER big time. Yes hardware of course matters too, but when comparing phones, 9 times out 10 the phones with larger mAh have much better battery life.

The small S8 does have poor battery life TO ME. Whereas the S8+ has GREAT battery life. To me a phone sucks if it doesn't get at least 5.5h Screen On time MINIMUM, anything less is useless and not taken serious. Preferable in the 6.5h to 7h Screen On time is best for me, which the S8+ can do pretty easily. Whereas the small S8 gets in the 4.5h Screen On time range, which to me sucks.

Look at last year's S7 vs S7 Edge,. The small S7 with 3,000mAh battery got like some poor 4h Screen On time, the S7 Edge with same exact hardware but a larger 3,600mAh battery got super great battery life. So the bigger battery made a massive difference.

Look at the OnePlus 3 vs. 3T, the 3T has a 3,450mAh battery, the 3 has a 3,000mAh battery, all other hardware is almost the exact same, and the 3T always scores much higher in battery life. Again the larger battery makes a big difference.
 

webslinger85

macrumors 6502a
Nov 8, 2010
725
76
It's pretty simple to understand, not sure why you guys don't get this;

I've had like 20 flagship smartphones the last several years, and for Android, more and higher mAh does MATTER big time. Yes hardware of course matters too, but when comparing phones, 9 times out 10 the phones with larger mAh have much better battery life.

The small S8 does have poor battery life TO ME. Whereas the S8+ has GREAT battery life. To me a phone sucks if it doesn't get at least 5.5h Screen On time MINIMUM, anything less is useless and not taken serious. Preferable in the 6.5h to 7h Screen On time is best for me, which the S8+ can do pretty easily. Whereas the small S8 gets in the 4.5h Screen On time range, which to me sucks.

Look at last year's S7 vs S7 Edge,. The small S7 with 3,000mAh battery got like some poor 4h Screen On time, the S7 Edge with same exact hardware but a larger 3,600mAh battery got super great battery life. So the bigger battery made a massive difference.

Look at the OnePlus 3 vs. 3T, the 3T has a 3,450mAh battery, the 3 has a 3,000mAh battery, all other hardware is almost the exact same, and the 3T always scores much higher in battery life. Again the larger battery makes a big difference.

Yes I see your point, but FOR ME, my S8 is consistently getting between 6-7.5h of SOT, that's hardly poor.

I understand that having a bigger battery obviously matters, but if you have a more efficient processor and everything is working the way it should, an extra 500mah is negligible
 
  • Like
Reactions: jamezr

Tig Bitties

macrumors 603
Sep 6, 2012
5,517
5,692
Yes I see your point, but FOR ME, my S8 is consistently getting between 6-7.5h of SOT, that's hardly poor.

I understand that having a bigger battery obviously matters, but if you have a more efficient processor and everything is working the way it should, an extra 500mah is negligible

You are getting 7.5h Screen On time on the small S8, not the S8+ ? That seems almost unheard of for the regular S8. I just read the 5 page battery life thread on XDA, and almost no one is getting that kind of battery 7.5h life for the small Non plus S8. But good for you getting lucky or have the right settings getting that.

It should have both, a bigger battery and the most efficient processor. I am cool with a hair thicker phone for longer battery life, than some skinny hipster phone that looks cool razor thin, but only gets some crappy 5h Screen On time, which is useless.

Next year the SD845 comes out on a 7nm process, really efficient, but I still want to see a 4,000mAh Android phone with the SD845 next year.

My dream phone for 2018, would be the SD845 + 8GB RAM. 4,000mAh battery. 5.7" OLED tech from LG's home theater TV's. Small form factor like the G6. Waterproof. And run stock Android.
 
Last edited:

noobinator

macrumors 604
Jun 19, 2009
7,335
6,998
Los Angeles, CA
It should have both, a bigger battery and the most efficient processor. I am cool with a hair thicker phone for longer battery life, than some skinny hipster phone that looks cool razor thin, but only gets some crappy 5h Screen On time, which is useless.

Next year the SD845 comes out on a 7nm process, really efficient, but I still want to see a 4,000mAh Android phone with the SD845 next year.

My dream phone for 2018, would be the SD845 + 8GB RAM. 4,000mAh battery. 5.7" OLED tech from LG's home theater TV's. Small form factor lik the G6. Waterproof. And run stock Android.

People would complain the phone is too thick so it wouldn't sell that great. The only way to get exactly what you want is to do what Rubin is trying to do. He created his phone, his way. If it flops, so be it. Perhaps someone will try your idea someday but for now it's not being done.
 

lazard

macrumors 68000
Jul 23, 2012
1,608
818
I find it interesting to hear people say these things are deal breakers for them. May I ask what phone you are using now? Were these your requirements for getting that phone?
I mean I love the things you listed 1 through 4 but they are likes to have and not hard requirements.

for me personally, #2 (no audio jack) and #3 (no microSD slot) are auto dealbreakers. #1 and #4 are nice to have but wouldn't affect my decision to purchase.
 

Tig Bitties

macrumors 603
Sep 6, 2012
5,517
5,692
People would complain the phone is too thick so it wouldn't sell that great. The only way to get exactly what you want is to do what Rubin is trying to do. He created his phone, his way. If it flops, so be it. Perhaps someone will try your idea someday but for now it's not being done.

Go to every tech forum, and everyone says I'll take a hair thicker phone for a bigger battery. To stuff in a 3,600mAh battery would barely have made it much thicker. Look at the OnePlus 3 vs. 3T, the thickness is exactly the same, but the 3T has a 500mAh larger battery.

I hope Rubin's phone is a success, but it will not be;

- $700 for off contract phone, and especially a brand new startup company = super low niche sales, only 1% of smartphone buyers will be interested.
- Not available in carrier stores on contract = Tough sell, extremely limited audience.
- Other off contract phones from people like OnePlus selling for almost half the price, but same specs and similar stock Android OS, makes this Essential phone a tougher sell.
- Not waterproof, no wireless charging. Not must haves, but should haves for a 2017 flagship smartphone.
- Ok it runs stock Android. Does it get updated as fast as Nexus / Pixel phones ? If not, what's the point, why not just buy the Pixel XL or wait for the Pixel 2 in a few months ?
- Seriously interested to see the Pixel XL 2 vs this Essential phone, which will have been released within 2 to 3 months of each other, and really direct competitors to each other. Come this Fall, would you rather spend $700 for the Essential, or $750 for the Pixel XL 2 ?
- OnePlus 5 with the SD835 + 6GB RAM + 4,000mAh battery, and all new higher end ceramic build quality for supposedly $549 vs. the $700 Essential phone. Which would you get between the two, and why ?
 

noobinator

macrumors 604
Jun 19, 2009
7,335
6,998
Los Angeles, CA
for me personally, #2 (no audio jack) and #3 (no microSD slot) are auto dealbreakers. #1 and #4 are nice to have but wouldn't affect my decision to purchase.

You can't buy 90% or more of the phones on the market with these deal breakers.
[doublepost=1496248371][/doublepost]
Go to every tech forum, and everyone says I'll take a hair thicker phone for a bigger battery. To stuff in a 3,600mAh battery would barely have made it much thicker. Look at the OnePlus 3 vs. 3T, the thickness is exactly the same, but the 3T has a 500mAh larger battery.

If everyone is saying it, then why is no one doing it? If it's such a sure thing everyone wants then surely companies would be doing it by now.
 

widgeteer

Suspended
Original poster
Jun 12, 2016
1,565
4,610
He's consistently made statements about the s8's poor battery life, regardless of what people say
[doublepost=1496243288][/doublepost]

I see what you're saying, but I also see what other people are saying too.

It's 2017, flagship level devices at this point should all feature the top end tech, especially if you're expected to pay flagship prices. It's just strange at this point to see a $700+ device NOT have wireless charging or some form of water resistance.

Waterproofing, I can see the argument to an extent. Wireless charging? No way. I love wireless charging, I think it's pretty cool. It is not in any appreciable way a feature that upgrades user experience. Laying your phone down on something vs putting a plug in just isn't a huge differentiator.

My biggest concerns/curiosities with Essential remain:

  • Customer service.
  • Android updates.
  • Availability.
If the latter two are abysmal, it's DOA for sure.
 

lowendlinux

macrumors 603
Sep 24, 2014
5,460
6,788
Germany
Go to every tech forum, and everyone says I'll take a hair thicker phone for a bigger battery. To stuff in a 3,600mAh battery would barely have made it much thicker. Look at the OnePlus 3 vs. 3T, the thickness is exactly the same, but the 3T has a 500mAh larger battery.

I hope Rubin's phone is a success, but it will not be;

- $700 for off contract phone, and especially a brand new startup company = super low niche sales, only 1% of smartphone buyers will be interested.
- Not available in carrier stores on contract = Tough sell, extremely limited audience.
- Other off contract phones from people like OnePlus selling for almost half the price, but same specs and similar stock Android OS, makes this Essential phone a tougher sell.
- Not waterproof, no wireless charging. Not must haves, but should haves for a 2017 flagship smartphone.
- Ok it runs stock Android. Does it get updated as fast as Nexus / Pixel phones ? If not, what's the point, why not just buy the Pixel XL or wait for the Pixel 2 in a few months ?
- Seriously interested to see the Pixel XL 2 vs this Essential phone, which will have been released within 2 to 3 months of each other, and really direct competitors to each other. Come this Fall, would you rather spend $700 for the Essential, or $750 for the Pixel XL 2 ?
- OnePlus 5 with the SD835 + 6GB RAM + 4,000mAh battery, and all new higher end ceramic build quality for supposedly $549 vs. the $700 Essential phone. Which would you get between the two, and why ?

The problem is you assume that this is intended to be a mass market phone, just like you think the Pixel is. This phone seems to follow the Pixel/Nexus line it's a phone sold by an uber nerd to other nerds therefore if it sells 6 figures it's good to go. The person that desires an S8/iPhone/Motog5/V20 are not the market for the essential/fairphone/geekphone/nexus/pixel. I really lost all my *****s the day I was born so if the phones bettery last 8-10 hours and I never see another I'm GTG.
 

widgeteer

Suspended
Original poster
Jun 12, 2016
1,565
4,610
An honest question, not being a smart guy, But for $700 what does this Essential bring to the table, over something like the Pixel XL 2 for a similar price point ? ( yeah I know the P2 is still a few months out, but not too far off )

Other than neither phone being released and thus we have no idea how they perform?

Nuttin.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.